SPORTS NOTEBOOK : Limp No Handicap for Compton College Player

Andre Stovall, 27, the father of three, is averaging 20.3 points a game as one of the captains of the Compton College basketball team.

A 6-foot-4, 195-pound guard, Stovall is shooting 52% from the field in his second season at Compton.

He graduated from Lynwood High School in 1980 but did not play much for the Knights because of a dislocated hip suffered in a car accident. “I was told then that sports would be out for me and that I’d walk with a major limp,” Stovall said.

He went from Lynwood to Long Beach City College, but his hip still bothered him.

“My spirits were broken pretty bad,” Stovall said. “They wanted me to redshirt. I just gave up.”

For several years he moved from job to job and played basketball in recreation leagues. He loaded trucks, installed insulation and did plumbing and carpentry work. “A jack of all trades and a master of none,” he said.

In 1985, he married. He and his wife, Lenise, have three daughters--Aunsha, 3, Aundrea, 1, and Aujane, 2 months.

“My goal has been to get an education,” Stovall said, explaining why he decided last year to go back to school. He has a 3.25 grade-point average.

The 1980s were a struggle for Stovall, who lives in Lynwood, but “I see myself coming out ahead.”

Stovall, who is involved in youth programs, expects to get an associate of arts degree this spring from Compton College and go on to play at a four-year university.

He is being recruited, he said, by Hawaii, St. Mary’s, Oregon and the University of Portland.

Stovall averaged 15 points for the Tartars last season.

“I still have my limitations,” he said. “I run with a noticeable limp. Everybody says I have a cool run.”

“He is a super person and a super player,” said Compton Coach Leroy Porter.

Compton has 19 wins and 6 losses so far this season and is ranked 11th in the state among community colleges.

49ers Update: The Cal State Long Beach men’s basketball team, which has lost three of its last four games, is in Logan, Utah, for a Big West Conference game tonight against Utah State.

The 49ers, 11-5 overall and 4-4 in the Big West, are coming off an 86-77 loss to fifth-ranked Nevada Las Vegas on Monday night in the Long Beach Arena.

The game was played before 7,438 fans, the fifth largest home crowd in 49ers history.

Poor shooting continues to plague the 49ers. They shot only 37.5% from the field against Las Vegas, and, as they have done all season, missed many easy shots. It was the third time in the last five games they have shot below 40%.

Long Beach’s free-throw shooting also proved costly. In the first half, the 49ers made only four of 11 foul shots while Las Vegas made 18 of 19.

For the season, the 49ers are shooting 64% from the free throw line. Guard Tyrone Mitchell has made only half of his foul shots.

The 49ers will continue their trip with a game Saturday night at San Jose State.

Rare Home Loss: When Dominguez High School of Compton lost to Cerritos, 82-72, Monday night, it was the Dons’ first home defeat in more than two seasons.

Scott Day scored 29 points and Kevin Williams added 23 for Cerritos. Cerritos and Dominguez are both 16-4 overall and 5-2 in the San Gabriel Valley League. They are tied for second place behind Lynwood (21-1, 7-0).

Lynwood defeated Downey, 66-41, Monday night, as Earnest Killum scored 24 points. Killum leads area scorers with an average of 30.1 points a game.

Women’s Rugby Tournament: The Belmont Shore Women’s Rugby Football Club will host the Women’s Rugby Inter-territorial Tournament this weekend at Hill Junior High School in Long Beach.

Games will be played from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

Members of the U.S. Women’s Rugby Team will be selected from among the players in the tournament.